ISL 2015: FC Pune City 1-0 Atletico de Kolkata - 5 Talking Points

FC Pune City brushed aside defending champions Atletico de Kolkata 1-0 with an outright solid performance lasting from start to finish. The game was won early in the first half by midfielder Jackichand Singh with a stunning strike. The win sends Pune City to the summit of the table with nine points – two ahead of Atletico.Here are the major talking points of match number 14 of the Hero Indian Super League played at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Pune.

#1 Flying start for Pune City

Jackichand Singh scored the fastest goal in the ISL this season (Image courtesy of ISL)

FC Pune City could not have wished for a better start to the night. A cross from the far right flank was caught perfectly by Jackichand Singh, who met it with an outrageous volley leaving Atletico goalkeeper Calatayud helpless. The goal that came in under 80 seconds was incidentally the fastest goal of the second edition of the ISL.

The goal set the tone for Pune City, who dominated proceedings from thereon, relishing a lot of the ball in their attacking third. Atletico struggled to get out of their own half with players like Tuncay Sanli and Yendrick Ruiz having a ball in what Atlético would call dangerous territory.

The speed at which the goal came seemed to have left Atletico shell-shocked as they struggled to get going. Pune City pressed high and reaped the benefits against the shaky Kolkata defence that came off second best.

#2 Blunt Atletico attack misfires

Iain Hume struggled for Atletico de Kolkata (Image courtesy of ISL)

Atletico boss Antonio Habas will ponder about all the aimless crosses that were put into the box by his team. It seemed as if Nadong Bhutia and Arata Izumi were firing balls into the box for no one in particular.

Sole striker Iain Hume was ineffective in attacking the crosses that were served into the box. The 5’7” striker’s tiny frame was the only body to aim for on plenty occasions. The misfiring Canadian, who is more used to playing alongside another striker, looked isolated up top and lacked the spark of the striker who had 5 goals to his name last season.

Hume’s goal drought continued as he could not find the back of the net for a fourth game in succession. Habas will have to go back to the drawing board with the team selection as it all went wrong for him today against an adamant FC Pune City.

#3 Ingenious tactics by David Platt

David Platt made the right decisions throughout the course of the game (Image courtesy of ISL)

Former Manchester City assistant manager David Platt got it spot on with his tactics, team selection as well as his substitutions. FC Pune City showcased a solid display and saw the game off in a professional manner.

The defence showed no sign of letting up with the experienced duo of Gourmangi Singh and Roger Johnson taking home a hard-earned clean sheet. English left back Nickey Shorey also impressed with a good performance.

‘Hero of the match’ Tuncay Sanli was the standout performer for Pune City. The striker was a lurking danger with his presence and enjoyed plenty of possession while he held up play for his teammates. The Turk, however, could not seal his outstanding performance on the night with a goal.

Platt injected the experience of Romanian marquee player Adrian Mutu into the game in the closing stages to help Pune City cling on to the one-goal cushion and see the game out.

#4 Injury concerns for Pune City

Lenny Rodrigues (Image courtesy of ISL)

FC Pune city were forced into making a change in the first half as Lenny Rodrigues was on the receiving end of a bad challenge and could not carry on. This is a worrying sign for Platt as he does not have strong reinforcements to slot in for the versatile Rodrigues.

The midfielder hailing from Verna Goa, formerly of Churchill Brothers and Dempo in the I-League, is an all-round midfield player who cannot be replaced that easily. The 28-year-old, who has 22 National caps for India, has been around in the Indian top flight for quite some time now and his experience will be dearly missed by the stallions.

Though it is not sure how serious the injury is or for how long Lenny is going to be sidelined, Platt will have to dig into his artillery and have a replacement ready in the form of Bikash Jairu.

#5 A very low attacking index sums up Atletico\'s night

Nadong Bhutia of Atletico de Kolkata takes a shot on goal (Image courtesy of ISL)

Atletico de Kolkata, who went into the game unbeaten, were humbled by FC Pune City who displayed a bravura in attack. Though Atletico enjoyed a larger amount of possession, the attacking index had a different story to tell. FC Pune City claimed the lion’s share of the attacking index with a staggering 96% while Kolkata could manage only a meagre 4%.

However, Pune City could not convert these impressive stats into goals as they had only one goal to show for at the end of 90 minutes. Despite this, the fans, management and the stakeholders at Pune will all have thoroughly enjoyed this performance. With three wins from four games, Pune City will have the wind in their sails when they face Chennayin FC next.

As for Atletico, they will be well aware that it could have been far worse. They will take the 1-0 defeat in their stride and start from square one when they take on NorthEast United FC at Guwahati.